


Twenty Three Minutes

by didsomeonesaybioshock



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Feels, Hunters & Hunting, Sad, Team as Family, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 08:22:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13072956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/didsomeonesaybioshock/pseuds/didsomeonesaybioshock
Summary: A wedding.





	Twenty Three Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> As a traditional country music lover, I'm ashamed to admit what song this was based off of. "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett. I still think Thomas Rhett is a terrible excuse for a country artist, but this one is decent. I'm not responsible for the feels you might get if you listen to it while reading this piece. Not one bit.

            Twenty-three minutes.

            Not a single chair was out of place. Each one arranged with such care, such thought. It had rained the day before but it was hard to tell by how clear and vibrant the summer afternoon sky appeared. Even the willow trees, closing around the setting and hanging above, seemed to drape their branches with more elegance than usual. It was as if nature itself had bent the rules just for the day. Just for this day.

            Twenty-one minutes.

            Castiel’s tie felt too tight. Was it too tight? He had already spent a total of fourty three minutes fussing over his ensemble. The crisp new suit jacket. The newly hemmed pants. The black tie dangling from his neck. Dean had pointed out that it wasn’t much different than what he usually wore. Just lose the trench coat, he told him. She’d already said that she didn’t care. But that wouldn’t have felt right. He ran a hand over his jaw, his freshly shaved skin foreign under his fingers. He fought the urge to ask Sam once more if his hair looked alright. He had enough cream in it to last a lifetime.

            Fifteen minutes.

            For the flower arrangements she had chosen Magnolias. Magnolias. A strangely bright sort of flower for a woman with such a dark and dangerous occupation. But that was what she wanted. How could anyone say no? As more and more people filed in, many commented on the contradiction. Hunters from all over. Many he recognized. Jody Mills slipped into the second row with Claire in tow. She gave them a small wave. They nodded from the platform. Castiel’s throat tightened slightly.

            In a perfect world, she would have had her grandfather perform the ceremony. Her father walk her down the aisle. Her family smiling from the front row. Her sister as her maid of honor. But that part of her life had long passed. She had her boys, she’d explained in the bunker one night. They were her family now. Having them beside her was all she needed. And of course, Castiel. Of course.

            Eleven minutes.

            He’d met Y/N long ago, following the release of Lucifer from his cage. She was a hunter working to avenge the murder of her father. He was searching for his. She was near death underneath the blade of a demon in a downtown Seattle alleyway when he stumbled onto her. They worked together for a few weeks, but it wasn’t long before she needed to follow her own path. He understood. She was a hunter. Working alone was always preferred. That was why he was so surprised when he received a phone call from her nearly three years later begging for some type of assistance. Demons had taken everything from her. Family. Friends. Her life. Bringing her back to the bunker was the most rational decision. The best decision.

            It wasn’t very long until Y/N became more than just a ‘bunk mate,’ per say. There were many nights where he would catch Sam and Y/N reading together in the library, swapping stories from their college years and laughing at their drunken escapades. Western films played regularly throughout the bunker, Dean ranting about one of the cowboys in the movie while Y/N sipped her beer beside him. And her and Castiel, well, there had always been a connection. Something deeper than a mere friendship. Something more. He’d always felt it. Ever since the beginning.

            Four minutes.

            He remembered that night well. He thought about it often. She still had flecks of blood in her hair from the banshee they had just slayed. Her forearms covered in dirt with a gash on her cheek. Her flannel shirt had torn right in the middle of her back. The bottom of one of her pant legs had been ripped off completely. Her chest rose and fell as heavy as the tide during a full moon. And when she trained those y/e/c eyes on him he swore Jimmy’s heart was close to beating out of his chest.

            They’d been through nearly everything together. He’d held her when she cried late at night, when the nightmares were just too much. She’d consoled him when he struggled with the confusing human experience known as ‘depression.’ They protected one another. Understood one another. There were times where it was hard to distinguish who was who when it came down to it. He knew everything about her. The pain. The fear. The hope. The drive. Everything that made her who she was, he was aware. And he would never change a thing. He loved every single part of her. He loved her. And when he had moved to close the distance between them, she hadn’t turned away.

            One minute.

            The music began. The traditional wedding tune played on a traditional grand piano. She had been insistent on that. The guests all rose from their seats. Sam clapped him on the shoulder. It felt like a thousand pounds had been added to his body. Suddenly that swig of whiskey that he had turned down from Dean’s flask sounded far more appealing. He had imagined this moment a thousand times in his head, but nothing compared to experiencing it in real time. Everything was just how he pictured it.

            And then he saw her.

            Oh, Father, he saw her.

            The elegant white skirt of her dress blew slightly in the breeze, her arm hooked around the crook of Dean’s elbow. Dean had nearly had an aneurism when she asked him to give her away. Her y/h/c hair pulled up in a loose bun with small flowers scattered throughout. Her lips were painted a light shade of rose. They pulled into the brightest smile at the first sight of the platform. Castiel feared his legs might give way. The guests murmured with excitement. Sam let out a breathless laugh beside him. There were no human terms to describe her radiance. If he did not know any better, he would classify her as an angel. But even that was not enough.

            They reached the platform. Her gaze fell to Castiel. Her smile was brighter than any galaxy in existence. He forgot how to breathe. A thousand thoughts swam through his mind. Dean gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and took her hand in his.

            And handed Y/N to her fiancé.

            Castiel watched his entire world gaze into the other man’s eyes; filled with so much love, so much joy. Tears were streaming down both of their faces. It felt like so long ago that he watched her leave the bunker for their first date. And the second. And the third. Until one day she packed up her last suitcase, left the hunters life behind and drove away to her new home. Their home. Somewhere along the Texas country side. She had always spoke of how beautiful it was there. He had stood out in the gravel and watched her taillights fade until the sun had sunk far below the mountain line. The next time she appeared was with a ring on her finger and an invitation in her hand.  

            He swallowed down his pride and watched with misty eyes as they read their vows. Castiel was her best friend. Her ‘maid of honor.’ Standing at her side like he had for nearly a decade. When the preacher declared them as one and they sealed it with a kiss he wished for the millionth time that afternoon that he could go back to that night and kiss her like he meant to. Like he wanted to.  

            But time travel wasn’t an option. That ship had sailed long ago. Hand in hand they walked down the aisle into their new life together. He had nothing left to wait for. So he began counting again. But this time, it was the moments he was forced to spend without her.

            One minute.


End file.
